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Mausolus

Mausolus was a satrap of Caria under the Achaemenid Empire and a member of the Hecatomnid dynasty. He ruled in the mid-4th century BCE, and after his death his sister-wife Artemisia II of Caria governed in his name. The couple ruled Caria with a level of autonomy within the Achaemenid framework and promoted royal authority in the region.

To commemorate Mausolus, Artemisia commissioned the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, constructed at Halicarnassus (present-day Bodrum, Turkey) around

The architecture combined Greek and Anatolian elements. It featured a high podium, a temple-like middle structure,

Earthquakes and neglect eventually toppled the Mausoleum; by medieval times it had fallen into ruin. In the

The term mausoleum derives from Mausolus's tomb and has become a generic word for monumental tombs. The

350
BCE.
The
tomb
was
a
monumental,
multi-tiered
structure
that
rose
above
the
city
and
became
renowned
as
one
of
the
Seven
Wonders
of
the
Ancient
World.
It
served
both
as
a
tomb
and
as
a
symbol
of
Hecatomnid
dynastic
power.
and
a
pyramidal
roof
supporting
a
statue
group.
The
sculptural
program
is
traditionally
attributed
to
a
team
of
Greek
masters,
including
Scopas,
Bryaxis,
Leochares,
and
Timotheus,
illustrating
a
fusion
of
styles
characteristic
of
Hellenistic
royal
tombs.
15th
century,
Crusader
builders
reused
its
dressed
stones
to
fortify
Bodrum
Castle
(the
Castle
of
St.
Peter).
Only
the
foundations
and
scattered
fragments
survive,
with
some
reliefs
recovered
for
display
in
local
museums.
Mausoleum
at
Halicarnassus
is
remembered
for
its
architectural
ambition
and
its
lasting
influence
on
funerary
architecture
in
the
ancient
world.